1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to network communications systems and, more particularly, to a programmable network protocol handler architecture that achieves high speed performance.
2. Background Description
Currently available network protocol handlers are implemented as hardwired logic, but there are also several programmable implementations. Custom integrated circuits (ICs), or application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), achieve good performance, but are inflexible solutions and are inefficient to handle emerging or evolving network architectures. Programmable protocol handlers are based either on a single processor implementation (which may be embedded on a chip or implemented off chip) or have multiple pico-processors controlled by a hierarchical controller (such as the IBM PowerNP network processor). All these solutions have dynamic random access memory (DRAM) external to the chip.
Programmable architecture is easier to implement than hardwired logic. Changes to specification can be easily accommodated by changing the program, and the architecture can be personalized to handle different protocols. However, current programmable engines based on single reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture (such as the QLogic ISP2300 Fibre Channel processor) are not fast enough for handling multi-gigabit/second (e.g., 10 Gb/s) transmission bit-rates.
In the prior art, protocol handler chips consist of hardwired logic that handles time critical operations, buffers, and a processor engine for executing high-level protocol commands and managing the overall chip function. In such chips, typically only one resource is assigned to execute a particular protocol task. Thus, such resources can become performance bottlenecks when the network traffic workload is increased.